Exploring The Comic That Inspired Doctor Who: The Star-Beast

Recently, the BBC announced the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary special episodes. Any announcement of new episodes is exciting for fans. However, there’s some additional intrigue for comics fans. The first of the specials is titled “The Star-Beast” and was accompanied by the following promotional poster.

That might not mean much on it’s own. However, the poster plays homage to a comic book cover. And further to that, the cover is for a story called “Doctor Who and the Star-Beast“.

With that in mind, it’s the perfect excuse to dive into this comic and see what the first of the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary specials could be like.

First, though, some background is required. This comic story was written by Pat Mills and John Wagner and art by Dave Gibbons, but it didn’t begin its life that way. Mills and Wagner had originally submitted the story to the BBC for television and were rejected. Luckily, the pair were established comic book writers, and the adventure found a home in Doctor Who Magazine #19-26 in 1980. From there, it has been reprinted in various formats over the decades.

As an aside, it’s worth noting that everyone on the creative team has had a legendary career. Before writing this Doctor Who tale, Pat Mills had played a crucial part in launching legendary anthologies such as Battle Picture Weekly, 2000 AD, and Misty. He’d go on to create classic comics such as Charley’s War; Nemesis, The Warlock; Sláine; and Marshal Law, to name a few. Wagner had been working in the British comics scene throughout the 1970s but made a name co-creating Judge Dredd, writing many of the series’ best stories over the decades, along with other classic strips such as Strontium Dog, Robo-Hunter, and Al’s Baby. Finally, Dave Gibbons drew many early Doctor Who strips and co-created Rogue Trooper. However, he’s probably best known as the artist of Watchmen.

It all begins with an alien spacecraft crashing into an industrial era. While the authorities and the television news dismiss it, two teenagers – Sharon and Fudge – decide to investigate on their way to school. There, they discover a round furry alien known as Beep the Meep. Dave Gibbons draws it as a big spherical furball with a marsupial-like face. It’s surprisingly animated through its large eyes. Elsewhere, the Tardis materialises on an alien ship and the Doctor – in this instance the Fourth Doctor, as depicted by Tom Baker – and K-9 stroll, actually more like dance, out. As you can expect, the aliens are hostile and are looking for Beep the Meep. From there, the comic offers twists and turns and one big surprise that flips everything on its head. I won’t spoil what it is, so you can enjoy them by reading the comic or watching the TV special.

The comic’s interpretation of the Fourth Doctor is decent. Gibbons captures his likeness and many expressions that fans would be familiar with. There’s the big rubbery smile as he sits down for tea and cake with aliens. Conversely, Gibbons draws the Doctor with a long face during times of seriousness. This is all rendered with clean and precise lines and complemented with spot blacks to add depth. They’re great-looking comics, especially in black and white. (However, your mileage may vary depending on which version of the colouring you read.) Mills and Wagner’s script captures the Doctor’s voice. It might not have the same wit as a Douglas Adams script – very few can match Adams – but there are enjoyable gags that align with the clownish adventurer that the character is known for.

This story is also notable for introducing Sharon Davies, who would go on to be the first recurring companion of colour. While she’s thrown in the deep end with the alien action of the Doctor’s world, she’s far more adaptable than many contemporaneous companions. Mills and Wagner characterise her as smart, quickly establishing this through her conversations with her friend Fudge. His jerkish know-it-all attitude is no match for her wit and resilience, and he crumbles as soon as the action heats up. While Sharon may be a little too trusting to begin with, which you can chalk down to a lack of experience with aliens and maybe narrative conveniences, she learns from her mistakes and grows from them.

I can see this comics tale working as a TV special in 2023. Yes, it was written for the Fourth Doctor over 40 years ago. But I could see it working as a Fourteenth Doctor story, with Tom Baker inspiring David Tennant’s interpretation. The comic story is a solid script, with some good twists and turns that would make for a good hour of television while capturing the drama and lens through the lens of the Tenth Doctor. As a result, I can see most of the story remains intact, with superficial changes such as being set in 2023 and including characters like Donna Noble. (It worked as a Big Finish audio-drama, so it should translate to TV well.)

Doctor Who and the Star-Beast is a fun comic story worth checking out if you’re curious about it from the TV special or are a fan of the Fourth Doctor. It has an excellent twist that spins everything on its head, offering up curiosities for Doctor Who fans and fans of British comics through the creative team involved.

Doctor Who and the Star-Beast has been reprinted many times throughout the decades, albeit not digitally. Your best bet is to track down the recently released Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Anthology, published by Panini, which includes this story and many others. Alternatively, you can track down Doctor Who Weekly #19-26 or one of the reprints by Marvel (Doctor Who (1984 series) #1-2), Marvel UK (Doctor Who Classic Comics #25-26), or IDW Publishing (Doctor Who Classics #4-6, Doctor Who Classics Volume 1, Doctor Who Classics Omnibus Volume 1). These can be found at all good comic book shops, online retailers, eBay, and Amazon.